Everybody Plays the Fool...Sometimes

Mistakes:
Anyone heard of homonyms? I'll be talking about something similar. Be careful using words/phrases which sound like other words/phrases. Some common ones I've seen: should/could of as should/could have, since versus sense, your/you're, and their/there/they're. The last two are TOO common (exchanging "two" for "too" is one as well). Mistakes such as the ones listed above can be avoided easily by having someone else read over your writing or just knowing what to look for when proofreading your work. Don't rush it, if you're going over your work too fast, you will miss it.

Theirs nothing worst then not knowing win two use witch word wear. <- point maid. Even for a person not overly concerned with correct grammar/spelling, that sentence is painful to read. I recently went to a career workshop and a recruiter made it known that if she sees an error, she stops reading and deletes the e-mail. Now, some people are not that strict, especially for maybe a typo, but obvious mistakes are not often overlooked. Take the time to give your writing a once-over to prevent this from happening.

Money, money, money

The time is here (well, it has been for some time) for scholarship applications. I realize that many of you have already applied to and/or been accepted to the colleges/universities of your choice, so now the question is...how will I pay for this? While loans are an almost automatic consideration, I challenge you to say to yourself, "I am determined to not take out ANY loans." Um...yea...right. I'm being so serious right now, even though you probably don't believe me. That is what I told myself (I actually said, "I will not have loans," but you get the point). If you believe this and work towards it, it is VERY possible.

I'm thinking about revamping the blog so look forward to new additions like: common mistakes students (and people in general) make when writing formal essays/papers/documents, question of the week, scholarship posts/deadlines, tips, and more.

Don't forget to send those essays in! Ways to get in contact with me:
askjameelah@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/askjameelah
www.facebook.com/jameelah.johnson

Where'd you go?

I play the disappearing act way too often for this blog. I know I should update more, even though the purpose of this is for people to send me their essays for editing, not just to come and go. It's up to you guys! I'm working on something pretty big, which is why I have been unable to update as much. Look out and be excited! Well, it's pretty big for me but it benefits high school students. This is the time you all should be applying to the universities/colleges you're interested in (those of you who are in your last year) and also looking for scholarships (this one is more broad, as there are scholarships for many levels). Once again, I'm here to help if you want another pair of eyes looking over your essays and giving you some friendly feedback. If not, I'll go and cry now...or just do something else. Oh yea! I started a Twitter page for those of you into that sort of thing (www.twitter.com/askjameelah or just @askjameelah) so you can mention me if you want me to answer any specific questions. I also have a Facebook page (www.facebook.com/jameelah.johnson). I'm all up through your internets!

It's been a long time...

...we shouldn'ta left you, without a dope beat to step to. That's some Aaliyah for the youngsters. So very sorry I've been ghost, my faithful scholarship seekers. Like I said previously, this blog serves the MAIN purpose of allowing you to send me your essays for me to proof. Nothing more, nothing less. But the nature of a blog is the updating of it so...here's an update! Send me some essays! Please :) askjameelah@gmail.com.

School is starting up (yipee!), which means the scholarship search is back on for most of you, though it should've never been off. Got some teachers who can write recommendations in mind? You should. Essay topics becoming second nature and of no surprise? They should be. Time is of the essence. While you're sleeping, someone in Europe is applying to your scholarship. Or maybe not, but people here do have different sleeping habits so ya never know. Maximize your time...schedule, schedule, schedule!

It's Never Too Late

REMINDER: This blog serves the main purpose of providing scholarship applicants with the opportunity to have someone familiar with the process critique their essays. So please send me some essays! No more than 500 words to askjameelah@gmail.com. (See the first entry for complete details regarding submissions).

One thing I always hear from people, "But most scholarships have a deadline that has already passed. There's no point in looking for anything now," never ceases to make me cringe. Oh please! Just like some colleges/universities have rolling admissions, various scholarships offer "rolling" deadlines. Some scholarships even offer many deadlines so that applicants have different opportunities to apply. So don't give up! Keep searching throughout the summer and year.

Look where you least expect it…

Now, the main purpose of my blog is to give people the opportunity to send in their essays for me to read*, but I will be updating once every once in a while with a tip for those applying.

My first tip is to look where you least expect it. What does that mean? Calm down and let me tell ya. When I was applying, I looked ev-ery-where. I looked at all that I was involved in, and what my parents were involved in, and sought out scholarships through those organizations. A lot of times, I never even thought certain places had scholarship programs. Here’s an example, think about what you do in your everyday life, the places you go to, the services you use…all of these places just might have a scholarship or two you can apply for. If you’re going to a fast food restaurant or shopping store, look at how KFC and Target have opportunities. If you're using a Microsoft program, think about Bill Gates and his scholarship targeting minority students.

Basically, in addition to the obvious places to look, like the organizations you are a part of (National Honor Society or Beta Club), look in the not-so-obvious places. When you begin to think outside of the box, that is when your chances of winning become higher.

A couple websites to consider:

www.fastweb.com (great site that does a lot of the scholarship search work for you)
www.coca-colascholars.com (over 1400 scholarships awarded each year)
www.uncf.org (features many overlooked scholarships for minorities)


*Please see the March 14, “What’s the point?” entry for more details regarding essay submission for critique/revision.

What's the point?

Contrary to popular belief, there is a TON of money out there just waiting to be "given" to some student who knows what it takes to get it. While there are many factors that are pretty predictable (i.e. a moderately high-high GPA, community involvement, leadership positions, extracurricular activities, etc.), there are ways to -for lack of better words- make your activities sound as monumental as you think they are. I am not at all condoning lying on an application. I have never had to, and had my entire four years of undergraduate paid for (and then some). But there are so many ways to say the same thing. You just have to pick the better way.

I'll be writing/updating this site in my regular voice...meaning there will be some "text talk" or other shortcut/slang/jargon/whatever because it's just a more relaxed way of communicating for me. Don't be alarmed, speaking well is def my well-being. I don't have a PhD in English grammar but I know a little more than the basics. I am also super extreme about getting things right (which is part of the reason for Internet/predictive text on my phone, no misspellings!).

I am giving you all the option to send me your scholarship essay* so that I can critique/proofread it (askjameelah@gmail.com). When I was younger (and still now), I was very self-conscious about my writing. I had the hardest time letting people I know read it, especially in front of me. So if there are people out there like that, I completely understand how you feel and invite you to send your essays. I'll read them, evaluate them, then send them back to you with my suggestions.

*The submitted essays must be 500 words or less (I mean, I do have a life). You can take an excerpt from the original, but please include the essay topic. They have to be submitted at least one month before the scholarship deadline (must be included in the e-mail). I will not use any part of anyone's essay for my own personal gain, whatever kind of gain I could get out of a scholarship essay, Idk. If your essay gets lost in the Internet ether and someone else uses/takes it, I am not responsible. Once you use the Internet for anything, your information is out there anyway. Once again, I am not responsible for anyone's essay. All I'm going to do is read it, proof it to the best of my ability, then send it back to you with my suggestions.